Heat Pump Installation in Apache Junction, AZ

The air-source heat pump is the most common type. These are usually set up a lot like split system air conditioning in that one unit is outside and the other is inside. The outside end houses a fan and a compressor. As the fan blows, air from outside is brought in, where it blows over cold coils. The refrigerant in the coils converts the air to vapor, which is taken in by the compressor. This heats the refrigerant on the other end. The inside end houses the hot coils and as air from the house blows over the hot coils, it heats up, rises, and is drawn into a duct by a fan. The warm air is then transported to all parts of the home through the duct system in the walls and ceilings. Alternatively, the refrigerant can be reversed so that the hot end is on the outside and the cold on the inside. Thus, the heat pump can actually serve as an air conditioner. This is very economical because it eliminates the need for both an air conditioning unit and a heater.

An absorption heat pump is technically a version of an air-source pump, although they operate differently. For starters, absorption heat pumps do not run on electricity, rather, they are powered by either a generator that runs on natural gas or propane, or they run on solar or geothermal energy. The heat pump works by absorbing ammonia into water—this is the purpose of the absorber. After that, a low-pressure pump pressurizes the water. It is then heated by the heat source until the ammonia boils out of the water. Air is taken in which blows over the condenser, heats up, and then is drawn into the ducts and transported throughout the home.

Ground-source heat pumps are somewhat different than air-source pumps. They rely on heat transfer from the ground in order to heat the coils on the inside end of the system. In this case, there is one unit inside the house and either an open or closed circuit of pipes buried outside. Fluid is moved through the pipes by a compressor. This is usually either water or refrigerant. In closed-circuit systems, it is more common to have refrigerant. Water is more typically used in an open circuit because it is connected to another source, such as a well or a lake. Once the hot liquid is moved into the hot coils, air from the house is drawn in over the coils. It is heated and from there is transported through the ducts to the rest of the house.